A10-ing after 30 years

[groily]

Pleased to have found this forum and its enthusiastic hard-core . . . it's been 30 years since I've had an A10 and I thought I'd never recover from the experience of the last one, run on student grant and usually seriously defective. Don't ask. But the lure was too strong and the need to have some alternative wheels that work whilst fixing favoured v high-mileage classic of another marque brought me back to the fold on the basis of the devil you know best is probably better than the devil you barely know at all. Info says it's '59 reg, web research tells me frame is 1960 and motor '60 or '61 DA10R, but with iron head. Works fine so far, no particularly horrible noises, 300 miles only since arrival here with me in France, but who knows what is inside an obvious amalgam of parts various. .  . as I get into it, I'll probably be a proverbial pain in the A looking for hints and tips! Pic attached, as requested

groily

[LJ.]

Hi there Groily! Welcome along to the forum, sorry to hear of the past problems of the old A10 but this needn't be with a well informed forum as we have here. I'm interested in your rear tyre and wondered what make it is?? I'm in need of a chunky looking tyre for my military M21.

P.S... Dont go looking for trouble in that there A10 just let the problems arise when they want to! Enjoy.

[groily]

Thanks for the friendly welcome. Rear tyre is a Dunlop Universal 4.00 by 19 - too much tread on it to throw away, and feels more stable than it looks. Probably gives me a bit of extra gearing too, with a profile like a haystack. But would look more appropriate on a green-laner maybe (or an M20/21 in military mode!)

Wasn't reckoning on messing with the thing just for the sake of it 'cos I'd rather ride it - I've known many A10s go thousands and thousands of miles without leaving their entrails on the tarmac. I'm not cynical, it's just that I never had one! Always a faint chance this might be one of them wot works, says he optimistically. No oil leaks except a bit from the base of the cylinder barrel on the timing side (boring but I'll put up with it for a bit at least), no smoke or visible oil consumption so far. Graunchy front end needs a bit of tlc in the steering head, forks and especially brake departments, but otherwise Ok so far . . . fingers well crossed! It'll get a fair bit of use so I'll soon see what works and what doesn't . . . and fix the bits that don''t . . .and make some of the bits that are missing - side stand, chain guard etc. Even the original spec Prince-of-Darkness 6 volt electrics all work just fine - so miracles do sometimes happen.

Groily

[a10 gf]

Hello Groily, & welcome. Looking forward to stories & posts.

just let the problems arise when they want to

Good comment. LJ 

E.

[groily]

Thanks for the 'Hi' Erling . ..not much to say really so far - done maybe 600 kilometres, 400 miles, this week and nothing's broken or fallen off, not even me. A few things aren't quite right, and there's some tweaking to do to get it running just so, but no probs and I'm pretty happy. Made a sidestand, and a rough and ready chainguard to keep it legal (my French friends said 'why?'). Replaced a bent needle in the carb, along with the jet, changed the moving cb point which had a very elongated pivot-hole (although the pivot on the backplate isn't much better), and generally working my way round - but most stuff is OK or better and it seesm to work fine. No oil drunk or parts eaten - this must be good news for something bought unseen . . . 'Course, shit happens, and when it does I'll try to take it like a U bend.
Groily

[LJ.]

not much to say really so far - done maybe 600 kilometres, 400 miles, this week

But... did you enjoy the ride?  We half expect to hear "Oh fantastic"! What Joy!

[groily]

Yes, should have said - I did! It's great. I'd forgotten how big the gap was between 2nd and 3rd on the STD beesa box, and I'm not sure having a siamesed pipe with a very tight bend - the left pipe goes inside the frame across the front (maybe they all do?) - is all that great for breathing, but hey, you can get at the primary drive a lot easier . . . So far so good . . . I like it for the torque and the lack of fuss the motor makes. France is a fantastic country for bikes, with quiet roads and a population that likes bikes and bikers. And no need for MOTs and tax discs, cheap as chips classic insurance (how does six quid a year grab you?) Just don't look for petrol on a Sunday . . .  lost the float chamber to carb banjo bolt on another bike yesterday after 100 mile run (Type 76 pre-Monobloc carb) and had to to go begging for a few litres of the necessary to get the 50  miles home. . .
Groily

[groily]

Just completed my 1st 1000+ A10 miles since Noah was a lad (or I was) . . . and amazingly to me - and probably completely unsurprisingly to you lot . . . no real problems at all. No oil leaks bar one I mentioned at the barrel/crankcase joint which only appears when you drive at motorway speeds. Oil consumption maybe a quart, poured in in small top-ups over the period. Standard front brake dubious by modern standards but Ok in the countryside, performance respectable for a 500 but a bit tame for a 650 perhaps. Some mild unthreatening noises which I think are cam followers, and some vibes , esp around 55-ish mph. Cam is clearly soft and Gold Flash-ish rather than the A10R it says (or someone stamped) on the side. Who knows who put what where over the years. But nothing has fallen apart and it runs like a bird. Of course I shouldn't be surprised . . . so let's say I'm just pleased! To start with I wondered why I'd bought the thing, as it's a tractor compared to its stablemate of the same era, but I'm beginning to see it wasn't just a brainstorm or mad fancy, so I'm wiser than I realised. Had expected to be putting in endless Qs as to why this or that didn't work, broke, or whatever, but not at all. It's great and I'm starting to think it could be worth spending a few shillings to make it better. Getting gradually converted to the cause then, which has to be good news  Groily